Information about Acebuchal

I discovered that there are many stories about this village, the most frequently told one being that it was where the resistance fighters against Franco hid and that eventually they were discovered and chased out of town. Others say that the villagers just left one day to find a better way of life but whatever the reason for its abandonment in 1949 it remained in ruins until 1998 when El Zumbo and his wife Virtudes returned and started to rebuild the village, fulfilling a lifelong dream. The original village can be traced back to the mid 1700´s but archaeological finds and Roman and Arab coins prove earlier settlements.

El Zumbo and his family now own half the village they so painstakingly resurrected and many small houses with pools are rented out as holiday homes to people who want to escape from the busyness of everyday life. This hidden Hamlet is a real treasure with its cobbled streets and white washed houses with brightly coloured front doors, beautiful gardens and terracotta pathways leading through archways and down to the river bed filled with bright pink Oleander bushes. There are no shops or any other facilities here, just the one bar/restaurant owned and run by Antonio and his family. His son Antonio Hijo runs the bar and also makes the scrummy ice cream with all natural fruit ingredients. I sampled both the blueberry and chirimoya which were both delicious. The home made summer fruits cake, served warm with cream was also mouth wateringly good as was the home made sweet wine made and proffered by El Zumbo himself. Here is the perfect spot for nature lovers who can while away the hours in this tranquil hamlet situated within a natural park.

So how do we find this hidden village? Its situated 5 km from Frigiliana, 7 km from Cómeta and 8 km from Torrox. To get there you can leave from either Frigiliana or Torrox, take the mountain road and along the way you will see a little wooden sign that says Acebuchal. Do take a trip there as its just picture perfect and waiting for you to discover it with your eyes, your camera or you watercolours. The bar closes at 4pm so do make sure you get there in time to sit on the lovely terrace and sample homemade sweet wine, ice cream and cakes!